


Second Chances

by AbschaumNo1



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Getting Back Together, Happy Ending, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Teuvo is a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 21:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15058424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: As nice as it is to have so many Ex-Hawks around he already knows, Trevor can’t help but think that it would be easier if he didn’t have the constant reminder of what he doesn’t have anymore.





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [eafay70](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/pseuds/eafay70) in the [PuckingRare2018](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/PuckingRare2018) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Crow and Trevor struggle to make their long-distance relationship work.
> 
> Dear eafay70,  
> I hope I did your prompt justice! It kind of jumped at me when I saw it on the list and I knew I had to try! I hope you enjoy!

Trevor goes to Carolina and everything kind of sucks. It’s funny, he thinks, because there’s so many of the guys down here. It almost feels like walking into the locker room in Chicago, but that’s also what makes it worse. Because Nordy and Krugs and Teuvo and Darls just bring attention to who  _ isn’t _ there and that’s a reminder Trevor really doesn’t need.

He tries not to hold it against them, he really does, but every time he looks up and sees Scotty in his stall he expects to see Corey sitting next to him, all of his focus on the game ahead. It’s always jarring when he remembers that Corey isn’t there. He knows he should get used to it, because this is his life now, but that doesn’t mean he wants to.

And as nice as it is to have guys around he already knows, Trevor can’t help but think that it would be easier if he didn’t have the constant reminder of what he doesn’t have anymore.

The worst part is that he can’t even call Corey to talk about it. Not anymore. Because Corey? Turned out to be an asshole. Or maybe Trevor just thought that what they had was more than it actually was. Either way, Corey broke it off when Trevor first got picked in the expansion draft and then got traded right after. 

And Trevor is not even sure what would make it better, but he’s still a little bitter about it. He got his heart broken and it sucks and he doesn’t want sympathy from guys whose very presence reminds him of what he has lost. He just wants to wallow in his pain and maybe try and put himself back together and move on, eventually. 

 

Teuvo is the first to catch on, and he’s way too fucking nice about it. He doesn’t even look hurt when Trevor keeps pushing him away. He’s just a good friend who accepts that Trevor needs time and is there when he actually does need someone. Even if Trevor doesn’t always realise that, until Teuvo comes around to get him to come out and explore. It’s good and it’s easy and Trevor appreciates Teuvo a lot these days. Plus he gets the others off his case, which is possibly even better.

 

Trevor throws himself into hockey. Because whether Corey is at his back or not, hockey is still hockey and Trevor can just focus on the game and play. He’s fiercely proud of all of them for this season, and… maybe not everything sucks after all. Maybe he’s not okay yet; maybe he’s still nursing his broken heart, but as long as he doesn’t let himself think about it he’s fine.

 

Luckily they only play the Hawks twice. And even though their first game is in November and Trevor is still far from being okay, he goes out and plays and gets through it. He doesn’t think about the fact that the goalie he’s facing down is the man he’s still in love with, even with everything that has happened between them. To Teuvo’s credit, he doesn’t say anything about it, he just watches over Trevor as he gets drunk after the game and gets him safely home. Trevor appreciates him a lot for it.

 

Corey goes down with an injury in December and Trevor doesn’t worry. He really doesn’t. Corey has made it clear that he doesn’t have any right to worry anymore. Except he worries about him all the time. It doesn’t matter what Corey has or hasn’t said about how their relationship would never work with this much distance between them. Trevor loves him and he’s not going to stop any time soon. So of course he worries. He checks for updates as often as he can, and he even texts Seabs about it. But no one is able to tell him more than what the team releases. Or maybe Seabs just doesn’t want to tell him anything. It’s always a possibility.  But Seabs is his friend and still somewhat of a mentor to Trevor. With Seabs’ own constant worry about Shawzy up in Montreal, Trevor doesn’t think he would hold anything back if he knew more than what he tells him.

 

As good a friend as Teuvo has been through all of this (or maybe because of it), when it becomes clear that it’s unlikely Corey will return at all this season, and Trevor can’t hide his worry, Teuvo finally confronts him.

They go out for lunch after practice, and Trevor is checking his phone obsessively again, when Teuvo says, “You know he’s hurting too, right?”

Trevor looks up at him and blinks. “He’s injured. Of course he’s hurting,” he says.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Teuvo rolls his eyes. “He misses you. He didn’t just break  _ your _ heart. He broke his own, too.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He broke it off. He clearly wasn’t invested enough to even try to make it work.”

“You’re stupid, you know. He broke up with you because he thought it wasn’t going to work and he didn’t think he would be able to handle it, if it all went up in flames.”

Trevor looks at him for a long moment. “What?” he finally asks, his voice cracking a little, because he’s not sure he really understood that right.

Teuvo makes a frustrated sound. “I’m saying that he was stupid about you, so he thought he would make things easier for the both of you by ending it.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“I never said it made sense. I’m trying to tell you that it’s stupid, of course it doesn’t make sense.”

“Okay, okay.” Trevor lets out a breath and runs a hand through his hair. “How do you even come to that conclusion?”

Teuvo rolls his eyes again. “We talked to him. Or well, Scotty talked to him, and then Scotty talked to me, so I could talk to you.”

Trevor has to quench the hope that sparks in his chest. This is almost enough to be a dream come true. Just the possibility of Corey still loving him back is enough to take his breath away and make his heart beat faster. But even if he wants to believe Teuvo, he’s not sure he dares to.

“Okay. So, assuming I can trust this information, what do you want me to do about it? Chicago is not exactly next door and I still got hockey to play. It’s not like I can pull a Love Actually and turn up on his doorstep or something.”

This time Teuvo actually hits him over the head. “But you can, stupid. We’ve got the bye week coming up, and he’s stuck at home. So book a flight, and get your ass up to Chicago.”

“I…”

Teuvo gives him a glare. “I’ll drag you there myself if I have to.”

Trevor blinks. “Yeah, okay, I’ll go to Chicago.”

Teuvo smiles.

 

Trevor questions his decision later when he’s in Chicago, sitting inside his rental, just a few parking spaces down from Corey’s front door. He doesn’t even know how long he has been here, but he’s been staring towards Corey’s door for a while now, trying to muster up his courage and go to confront him.

He’s startled out of his thoughts when someone knocks against the curb side window, and when he looks up Corey’s standing next to the car, one eyebrow raised. Trevor rolls down the window, and tries not to appear too embarrassed that he’s been caught.

“You coming in or are you gonna sit here all day?” Corey asks, all gruff. He’s trying to sound annoyed, but Trevor knows him well enough to hear the fondness he’s trying to hide.

And Trevor… until today he had thought that he would never get to hear Corey sound like that again, at least not directed towards him. It’s a lot right now, so he just nods silently, rolls the window back up and gets out of the car. And despite everything he said, Corey huffs fondly.

Trevor follows him into the house and to the kitchen. It’s familiar, and it comforts Trevor a little, nonsensical as it is. It’s not like Corey would change the layout of his house just because he broke up with Trevor.

If Trevor needed any more signs that he’s not the only one with the broken heart, the fact that Corey still has the menu from Trevor’s favourite takeaway place lying on the counter, with Trevor’s favourite foods circled, and that he catches a glimpse of what he’s fairly sure is his favourite beer in the fridge when Corey opens it to get two bottles of water out.

He really doesn’t look like he’s healthy. There’s no way he’s okay, that much is clear from the tension in his shoulders. Trevor is fairly sure that he’s been miserable for a while now, injury or not, and he’d love to step in and dig his thumbs into Corey’s shoulders until he relaxes. But he can’t. Not anymore, and maybe not yet again, but neither changes a thing about the fact that it’s not his place right now.

Corey turns around and hands him one of the bottles before he leans back against the kitchen counter, and asks, “So why are you here?”

Trevor ducks his head, and picks at the label of the bottle, because really, he has no idea how to answer that question. Everything he can come up with sounds kind of lame in his head.

“I miss you,” he finally says, because it’s true and even if it makes him sound kinda pathetic it’s the only thing he can think to lead with.

“Trev-” Corey starts, but Trevor cuts him off.

“And I was worried, okay? I know you said I got no right to anymore or some shit, but I still worry about you, Corey, and I just…I needed to see you’re okay.”

“I’m injured. I’m not sure “okay” is the word I’d use here.”

Trevor rolls his eyes at him. “You know what I mean.”

There’s a pause and then Corey says softly, “Yeah, I do.”

Trevor swallows. “Why did you do it?” he asks all of a sudden. “Break up with me, I mean.”

Corey looks at him for a long moment before he shrugs and says, “I didn’t want to delay the inevitable.”

“The inevitable…”

“Yeah. I thought it would only be a question of time before you met someone better down there. Someone who could be there for you.”

“And I wasn’t worth it to even try?” Trevor knows how bitter he sounds, but he has every right to, he thinks.

Corey lowers his head, and he looks small all of a sudden, smaller than Trevor has ever seen him. He wants to reach out and tell him that it’s going to be alright, but he stays right where he is and waits for him to explain himself.

“I was afraid,” Corey finally says. “I didn’t want to lose you, but I thought it would be more painful to try and fail, so I broke up with you. Rip off the band aid in one go so it doesn’t hurt as much.” He looks back up at Trevor. “I was wrong. It probably hurt worse.”

“It still hurts for me,” Trevor admits softly. “It’s been hurting ever since and it never stopped. I wanted it to go away, but it just… doesn’t.”

“Trevor, I-”

Trevor puts up a hand to stop Corey. “I loved you, Corey. Hell, I still do, despite everything. You breaking up with me was worse than getting traded. I expected the trade at least.”

Corey makes a strangled sound. “I… I still love you, too, you know? I… I have been hating myself for doing that. It was a mistake, and I… I wish I could go back and change it.”

“You could have called. You could have emailed, hell, you could have texted. It’s not like I died.”

Corey is silent for a moment. “I thought you hated me.”

“To be fair, I kind of did,” Trevor says with a sigh. “But deep down I was always waiting for some sign that you wanted me back.”

Corey puts his bottle down, and is standing in front of Trevor within a moment. He hesitates short of touching him and asks tentatively, “Can I hug you?”

Trevor wants to use his words, he really does, but he only manages a nod, and then Corey already closes his arms around him and pulls him into a tight hug. Trevor hugs him back and Corey leans his head against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Corey says. “I know that doesn’t cut it, but I’m so fucking sorry.”

Trevor tightens his grip on him. “I know,” he says, and god, he wants to be at least a little angry at Corey for everything he put him through, but he also just… can’t. He melts into the hug, because even after all these months of thinking that Corey didn’t love him, being with him feels like being home.

“I need you to never pull shit like this again,” Trevor says finally, and Corey makes a surprised sound against his shoulder. He tries to pull away, but Trevor doesn’t let go of him. “I’m not done hugging you,” he says. “And I’m still kind of mad, but I’ve been waiting to get you back and I’m not letting you leave again.”

Corey turns his head to nuzzle against the side of Trevor’s neck, and lets out a breathless laugh. “I don’t deserve you,” he says.

“Damn right, you don’t,” Trevor agrees. “You’re lucky I don’t care though.”

He can feel Corey’s nose press against his neck. He couldn’t even begin to describe how much he has missed him. Trevor finally loosens his hold on Corey and pushes him away a little until he can see his face again.

“Can I kiss you?” Trevor asks.

Corey smiles and is already moving in when he says, “You really need to fucking ask?”

And then their lips meet and it’s everything Trevor has missed about kissing Corey; the feeling of his lips, the way his arms close around Trevor to hold him close, Corey’s smell surrounding him, the feeling of his curls when Trevor slides his hands into his hair. Trevor makes a desperate sound deep in his throat and presses closer until there’s not a hair’s breadth of space between their bodies left. He feels like a drowning man, clinging to Corey as he deepens the kiss.

When they finally pull apart, Corey leans his forehead against Trevor’s and says, “Stay.”

“That’s the plan,” Trevor says with a smile.

They still need to talk, still have to figure out how exactly they’re doing this, but there’s time for all of that. For now Trevor is just happy that he has Corey back. It’s the only thing that matters.


End file.
